57 years of the Cardenal Albareda square

On a day like today 57 years ago, the Plenary of the Badalona City Council approved to give the name of Cardinal Albareda to a square in the Congress neighborhood. It is an area where there are several public spaces that bear names related to religion and the Catholic Church, in recognition of the entity of Catholic origin Viviendas del Congreso Eucarístico, SA, which promoted, between 1963 and 1970, the construction of homes that they constitute the neighborhood.

Anselm Maria Albareda i Ramoneda (Barcelona 1892-1966), was a historian, librarian, archivist, theologian and ecclesiastic, who came to achieve the dignity of cardinal. Baptized as Joaquim, he took the name of Anselm Maria when he professed as a Benedictine. He lived in Badalona, ​​where his family settled when he was little and continued to be linked to the city throughout his life. He studied in the Marists of Badalona, ​​in the Montserrat monastery – where he would be an archivist – and in Rome. Between 1933 and 1961 he was prefect of the Vatican Library, which he reformed deeply. During the years of World War II he stood out for his work of saving bibliographic collections, among which that of Montecassino Abbey stands out. In 1962 he was appointed cardinal and soon afterwards the Badalona City Council granted him the title of adoptive son of the city. In 1963 he attended the conclave that elected Paul VI as the new pope. He is the author of several publications, many of which are devoted to the history of the Montserrat monastery, where his remains rest.

In 2016, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his death, the Museum of Badalona, ​​together with the parish of Santa Maria de Badalona, ​​dedicated an exhibition to him, which could be seen in the church of Santa Maria and, later, in the monastery of Montserrat .